Wardrobe malfunction - a la Janet Jackson

This morning started off on quite an interesting note.

I was a minute or so late for my bus and so was hurrying towards the bus stop. But by the time I reached the main road, the bus was already steaming towards the stop. Luckily (at that point in time) the driver noticed me and pulled over, so that I didn't have to run till the bus stop (the way I do almost once in 7 days or so).

I boarded the bus and headed towards my usual seat. Just before I reached that, I heard a noise, a loud one and it sounded like a big piece of velcro being opened. I started wondering as to what velcro i was carrying and looked down.

Lo! There was a big tear in my trouser. The front pocket on the right. Actually not the front pocket per se, but more like the material in front of it. L shaped tear. Easily 2-3 inches on each angle.


Since it was loud and since I have a fully functional larynx and also because I am quite expressive with my face during such situations, I was sure that all the 10 people already seated knew what happened.

I had no option but to get down, go home, change and go to office by car. So before the bus reached my stop, I told my friends about my decision and was about to get down. The driver asked me what happened and I showed him! He said he would wait. I said its ok and that I'd come by car. He insisted that he would wait for me. So I asked him for 2-3 minutes and started running back home.

The distance between home and bus stop is around 175-180 metres. I am not going to say that I covered it in 21 seconds, but I made decent time. Considering that I was running with the laptop bag still attached to my body, I think you will surely applaud my effort.

Of course, you might wonder why I ran with that bag and why I didn't leave it in the bus. You see, in such moments where your dignity is being put to test and that too in front of so many girls, your brain doesn't really process much logic.

Anyways, I came back home gasping for breath. Gave a quick update about the events. Rushed to my room and changed to another trouser. Then it was once again a dash back to the bus.

All in all, it must have taken close to 5 minutes and I really thank the driver for waiting even when I didn't want him to.

When I boarded the bus, I definitely felt that around 15 pairs of eyes were all focused on me. It may not have been the case, people do sometimes have better things to do. But I had the nagging feeling that people were watching me. And I know for sure that there were 2 people who definitely ensured that an eye contact was made with me. The reaction on their face was a combination of a smirk, pity and other disparate emotions.

Anyways, all this extensive running around with a 15 kg weight did take a toll on me ageing body. After I plonked myself in my seat, I quickly reached for my Polo packet and had 2 wholes with mint. But for the next 10 minutes or more, I was definitely feeling quite exhausted. This very clearly shows how bad a shape I am in.

High time I addressed the issue.